REVIEW: FIVE CHILDREN AND IT at Theatre at the Tabard, Chiswick until 31 Dec 2022

‘This production offers a special type of Christmas show … ’ ★★★★

It is a freezing, icy night. Schools have just broken up, Christmas is nearly here, but not quite. What better to do than watch a fun adaptation of E. Nesbit’s classic children’s novel? Every Christmas I usually review a play with my two daughters, now 8 and 10, and to be honest, they can be a difficult audience to please. They were certainly not keen on venturing out into the cold again after finishing school hours before, but such protests were soon quelled when we reached the Tabard. Always a welcoming venue, it’s an important part of the West London theatre scene. But would this classic story appeal to the TikTok generation?

Well, we were in pretty safe hands with Simon Reilly’s production, adapted by local author Louise Haddington. As the programme notes, there has been a tradition at the Tabard of family friendly alternatives to panto (not that there’s anything wrong with panto of course!), and in the past we enjoyed Stig of The Dump at the venue. This production uses the intimate space well, and Clara Clark’s set is full of Edwardian charm. The small task of bringing the Psammead (“It”) to life is achieved without fanfare. Designed by Adam Boyle and Clark, the small puppet, voiced and operated by the versatile Boyle (who plays other roles too), is mischievous and entrancing. The weary and sometimes grumpy sand fairy drives the narrative.

The five children, well four children and baby doll, are well acted by the cast. Older than the age of the characters, they bring plenty of fun to the roles, as they soon learn you need to be careful what you wish for – we see their wishes come true, but manifest in a way they hadn’t imagined. There are plenty of engaging sequences around the wishes, from slapstick police chases to dreamy flights across the fields.

This production offers a special type of Christmas show. My children can get overwhelmed by larger productions, where the scale means it can be hard to engage with the action on stage. But they loved this. And, don’t say it too loudly, they are now insisting on reading the book. I say four stars, they stay five stars, always nice to see such enthusiasm.   

FIVE CHILDREN AND IT

From the novel by E. Nesbit

Adapted by Louise Haddington

At Theatre at the Tabard, Chiswick

8 December – 31 December 2022

Box Office https://tabard.org.uk/whats-on/five-children-and-it/

Directed by Simon Reilly.

Produced by Take Note Theatre Ltd

Reviewer Andrew Curtis is a playwright who regularly has plays performed in London fringe theatre. He graduated from three cohorts of the Royal Court Theatre’s Young Writers Programme.